West Virginia Democrat. [volume] (Charles Town, W. Va.) 1885-1890, 1887-10-07
EXTRACTS FROM THE ADDRESS
OF THE MARYLAND KICKERS.


We have many democrats but no
democratic party. There is an or
ganization here calling itself by the
name of the democratic party and
debasing that name to the worst
uses. 1t is purely commercial as
ISOLATION, trading is legislation and
patronage as business. Certain,
so-called, local leaders in the differ
ent counties, neither trusted for hon
esty nor respected for talent, are
given the distribution of patronage,
to be used in keeping together pre-
cinct manipulators. The
so-called democratic party in Balti-
more is no more governed by demo
cratic principles than it is by the
rules of common honesty. 1t is as
undemocratic as it is immoral, and
its claim to be the democratic party
is an impudent sham. We, do there
fore, as democrats, disown allegiance
to the so-called democratic party i'll
MARYLAND and denounce it as q
sham and fraud, and we call on
every true democrat to join with us
in defeating its candidates for State
offices. We believe that real DEM
ocrat can be engaged in no better
work at this time than in relieving
his party from boss rule and ma
chine methods. < 4 The popular
demand for reform is clamorous.
1t is evident the machine will, if it
can, cheat this popular demand.
81 We cannot trust men who offer
to enact laws to make themselves
honest, = 4 The odious "spoils"
system, under which public office
has been treated as the means of
paying party and individual debts;
the system under which public of
ficer is committed to breach of
trust before he is appointed to place,
has fourished here in its rankest
growth. This system is the most
demoralizlng and debasing iniu-
ence that exists to-day in our Amer
lean life. Acting more silently, and
therefore more insiduously, it reach
es further and operates with more
corrupting power than all the recog-
nized criminal agencies put togeth-
err. 1t converts public office into a
matter of bargain and sale. 1t
creates a false and artificial distinct
ion between a breach of trust in
public office and breach of trust
elsewhere. High officials become
from their position the apologists Of
the system and the skilled teachers
of false morality, so that the sys-
TEN not only takes up and uses the
ready made criminal, but manu-
features automatically its own
supply of criminals as it moves
along. The intelligence and hon
esty of the whole country has re-
belled against this, and it is well
recognized that it must be made to
cease. A President has been elect
ed on the distinct promise that he
would, so far as in him lay, urge the
eradication of the "spoils" system,
Other States have passed laws with
this object. Platforms in nearly all
of the States and of both parties
have given pledges to the same eff
feet. This 'spoils' system the
State Convention of the socalled
Democratic party in Maryland has
endorsed in terms. Equivocal and
disingenuous in its utterance on N,
most every subject, on this it speaks
with no uncertain voice. We do
most solemnly declare that in taking
such a position the convention does
not represent the people of this
! State nor voice the sentiments of the
Democracy. In no State is the feel
ing more intense, is no State is the
"spoils" system more abhorred, or
it's evils better known, than in this
ringridden commonwealth. We are
in full accord with the intelligence
and character Of other States in our
desire for thorough civil-service re-
form, and we will not, if we can help
it, suffer any party to rule this State
that does not take the most advanc
ed ground on this question.
Fortunately the Republicans have
nominated men of the highest char
acter and intelligence, while their
platform raises State issues only.
If the republican party can do for
honest local government what the
machine calling itself the democrat
ic party cannot do, then we will give
the Republican candidates chance,
and will send the pseudo-DemOcrat-
ic party into retirement until it rids
itself of the evil influences by which
it is now controlled; until it is again
officered by Democrats and its policy
governed by Democratic principles;
until Democrat can again vote n
party ticket without doing violence
to his manhood or sacrificing his
self-respect.
Ex-CoNGREssMAN WALSH, Of Cum
berland, addressed a meeting of the